Living to make much of Jesus

A New Creation

he is a new creation…(2 Cor 5:17)

My husband enjoys taking up projects in our home. When we first bought our house he was determined to strip and repaint a door in our bedroom. It was a terrible brown color. The previous homeowners over the years just kept painting layer upon layer of new paint instead over the door instead of stripping the door and starting over.

It took my husband close to two months to finish the project because it was terribly frustrating. It seemed like an impossible task, stripping through many years of bad paint jobs. Many times he told me he was giving up and just buying a new door. In fact, by the time the door was finished he had spent more money refinishing it than it would have been to buy a brand new door. However, once he finished the door, it was absolutely beautiful.

God is stripping away a lot of bad paint jobs done to our lives as well. The process, at times, is terribly frustrating and painful. We wonder when the job will be done. We wish He would just stop the stripping process, skip the hard parts and press the easy button on sanctification. Yet, there’s something beautiful underneath it all that He is trying to uncover. There’s something inside of you that He wants to show off to the world. It is the beauty of His character, His joy, His delight and His love that lives inside of you through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why do so many believers live as half-finished doors? Because they just didn’t want God to “there.” If they couldn’t trust the person who hurt them, how can they trust God with it now? It’s human nature to believe the lie that God is like the person who hurt us. However, we must remember, it is not the stripping He delights in, but the end result that He sings over.

The more I grow in Christ, the deeper He goes. First, He starts on the surface. It’s less painful there. It’s when He really starts digging that we must learn to actively trust Him as He strips away deeply embedded lies, insecurity, and pride.

When my husband finished the door he was elated. He couldn’t wait to show me. Someday our Heavenly Father will present us as pure, and spotless without a stain or wrinkle upon us. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!

Father, thank you that YOU are making me new. You’re stripping off old patterns, lies, and comforts. Thank you that you’re not done with me. Thank you that you are making me new! In Jesus name, Amen!